GREENVILLE, S.C. (Oct. 19, 2023) – The ETSU volleyball team fell on the road at Furman on Thursday in three sets (25-15, 25-22, 25-23).
 
Stat Standouts – The tandem of Brianna Cantrell (11 kills) and Amanda Lowe (10 kills, .375 hitting percentage) led the charge for the Buccaneer offense on Thursday. Collectively, the Bucs attacked the Paladin defense at a .243 clip, which is the team's second-highest hitting percentage in a match this season (.276 vs. UNCG).
 
Set 1 – The opening set on Thursday was all Furman. The Paladin offense was rolling early attacking the ETSU defense effectively and efficiently with 15 kills in 30 attempts with just two misfires (.433). A kill from Cantrell made the score 6-4 Furman before the Paladins reeled off five straight points to seize the momentum. Furman went on to easily win the first set, 25-15.
 
Set 2 – ETSU started the second stanza playing well scoring four of the first five points. However, Furman quickly erased the Buccaneer lead with a 6-0 run to put pressure back on ETSU. The Bucs did not go away though as after a Furman service error, Lowe picked up back-to-back kills to make the score 21-20 Paladins. Unfortunately for the Bucs, Furman closed the set on a 4-2 run to go up 2-0 in the match, 25-22.
 
Set 3 – The third set was the most tightly-contested of the match as no lead grew to larger than four points. It was especially tight as the set came to an end with tied scores at 19, 20 and 23. A kill from Jenna Forster and an ace from Abbey Thomas had the Bucs on the verge of a set point opportunity with the score deadlocked at 23. Furman, however, scored the next two points via kills to finish off the three-set sweep of ETSU, 25-23.
 
Next Up – ETSU will return to the court on Saturday when it welcomes Western Carolina to Brooks Gym for another SoCon matchup. First serve between the Buccaneers and Catamounts is set for 6 p.m.
 
For more information on Buccaneer volleyball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the volleyball tab.